How to Switch Between the Leica Triple Camera in the Huawei Mate 20 Series?

How to Switch Between the Leica Triple Camera in the Huawei Mate 20 Series?

Multi-camera smartphones are getting more and more common as time goes by, and the Huawei Mate 20 series is one of those smartphones with their own Leica Triple Camera system.

Instead of having a one size fits all solution, the smartphone can switch to a different camera which will excel for a specific purpose, much like changing lenses on a DSLR / mirrorless camera. For example, wide-angle lens cameras may be more suitable all-around but a telephoto lens would work better if the subject is at a moderate to far distance.

With dual-camera smartphones, switching between cameras is usually done via an on-screen button in the camera app itself. With the Leica Triple Camera setup on the Huawei Mate 20 series however, it is different. There are no options to change between the three cameras.

Question is, how do you change between the Leica Triple Camera then? Well, I am currently reviewing the Huawei Mate 20 X and I can tell you exactly how. Just keep in mind that specs could vary a little bit as the Mate 20’s camera differs with the Mate 20 Pro and Mate 20 X, with the latter two models having the exact same cameras..

Upon opening up the camera app, you will be using the 40 MP Wide Angle Lens (f/1.8 aperture) by default. This is the best one for general use and will provide you with the best imaging performance.

As soon as you zoom out by pinching the screen outwards, you will see the zoom factor go from 1.0x to anywhere from 0.9x to 0.6x. At this point, the camera will automatically switch to the 20 MP Ultra Wide Angle Lens (f/2.2 aperture). This will allow you to capture more things within the frame itself, giving you a rather wide perspective compared to the standard Wide Angle Lens.

Notice the difference in colour between the top and bottom 🙂

As for the telephoto lens, it’s a bit tricky. It kicks in from 3x zoom onwards, but will only shift to the telephoto lens when it detects a face and a distinguishable object to focus on. From 1x to 2.9x zoom, it will not kick in no matter what. This was the case for the Huawei Mate 20 X and the Mate 20 Pro.

Interestingly, the 3x zoom via the telephoto lens is actually optical zoom so you will not face any loss in quality when zooming in, which usually happens in digital zoom. From 3x to 5x zoom, it will be using Huawei’s hybrid zoom feature, which we will explain in-depth in a future post.

One last note, you will not be able to zoom in or out if your picture resolution is set to 40MP. You will need to use either the 7MP options or, preferably, the 10MP option to fully make use of the Leica Triple Camera system on the Huawei Mate 20 series, regardless of whether it’s the Mate 20, Mate 20 Pro, or the Mate 20 X.

If you’re one of the many people who were confused as to how to use all three cameras, I hope this simple guide has helped made everything clear for you.